Memento Mori
by ShadowWolf187
Summary: Upon receiving a scholarship, Minato and Hamuko Arisato return to their hometown. However, unknown to them, they will be thrust into an adventure that none of them had ever anticipated. A Persona 3 FES/Portable novelization.
1. Prologue: The Fools

**Author's Note:**

Hello, everyone! ShadowWolf 187 here. This story is going to be a novelization of Persona 3 FES/ Persona 3 Portable. Here the male protagonist (Minato Arisato) and the female protagonist (Hamuko Arisato) are related. The story will at times switch between their points-of-view depending on the situation. Also there will be original, added scenes and dialogue in this story. As for characters, I will mostly try and stick to their personalities and keep them in-character. Spoilers for the game have been included so you have been warned.

Rating: M for language, violence, themes, and lemons (Don't worry they will not be too graphic.)

Parings: Minato x Yukari, Hamuko x Shinjiro, Junpei x Chidori, and Akihiko x Mitsuru

Disclaimer: Persona 3 and its characters belong to Atlus.

So enjoy!

* * *

Prologue

The Fools

_March 21, 2009_

_Afternoon_

The opening of the mailbox could be heard in the apartment complex lobby. Hideo Arisato withdrew out today's mail. He then proceeded to lock up the mailbox and then went towards the elevator to reach his floor.

As the elevator went up, Hideo glanced through the mail. Most of it was junk mail. However, Hideo came upon a large, manila folder. He then inspected the address and to whom the folder was for. It read that it was from a Gekkoukan High and it was for Minato and Hamuko Arisato. Hideo was so absorbed on the file that he failed to notice that the elevator was opened to his floor.

One of the other tenants in the elevator with him then asked, "Hey Arisato-san, isn't this your floor?".

"Hm?"

"Isn't this your floor?", he repeated.

It was up until then that Hideo snapped back to reality and looked around. He then saw that it was indeed his floor and got out. He then turned to face the other man.

"Ah, thank you Menotori-san. If you hadn't said anything, who knows how long I would have remained in the elevator."

"No problem.", Menotori replied, " Well anyways I've got to be going. See you later."

"Goodbye."

The elevator door closed and then continued on its way. Hideo then began to walk towards his apartment. He pulled out his keys and unlocked the door and went inside. He then locked up and went for the sofa in the living room. There Hideo sat down and opened up the folder. The contents of the folder spilled out and Hideo proceeded then to look at them.

His dark grey eyes scanned over the papers.

Once he was finished reading through them, Hideo sighed and leaned back into the sofa.

"_Well, it seems that they both got accepted_", he thought, "_But now comes the hard part in convincing them to go." _

-0-

_Late afternoon_

Two figures were walking up the sidewalk. One was a young dark blue-haired boy and the other was a girl with auburn hair tied up into a high ponytail. Both had on school uniforms and were wearing headphones. However, the headphones were different for each. The boy had regular colored earphones while the girl had red earphones. Though, at the moment, only the boy had his earphones up and was listening to music.

"Hey, Minato-nii did you think that surprise test was hard?" she asked. The boy named Minato continued to listen to his music, but then he turned the volume down to hear. He also turned his head towards her.

"Oh, sorry. Um, what was the question again Hamuko?" Minato asked.

Hamuko sighed. Sometimes it could be quite annoying when her brother wouldn't listen and she would have to repeat the question or conversation to him. Nonetheless, she decided to repeat the question now that she had his attention.

"I said that did you think the surprise test was hard?"

"No", Minato answered, "Sure there were a few questions that I might have tripped up on, but overall I think I did fine. You?".

"Yeah… I think I did well too. But it's a miracle you said that Minato-nii. Because half the time you're mostly sleeping during class. And then I sometimes have to cover for you in the meantime.", said Hamuko, who was now remembering said moments.

"And I must say that I thank you for looking after your poor older brother who can't seem to stay awake, my dear sister." replied Minato in a mock tone of appreciation.

Hamuko then went next to him and gave him a small shove. " Oh be quiet, you."

Minato chuckled at her and both continued their walk. The two siblings then began to talk about the day and would laugh at any ridiculous thing that happened as well. However it was during the talk, that Hamuko then turned her face forward and her expression became serious.

"Hamuko, what's wrong?", said Minato, who then became concerned about his sister's change in attitude.

"It's nothing. But…. have you noticed that Uncle's been acting different lately?" she questioned.

Minato looked at her and said, "Now that you mention it. Yeah, I've noticed that he sometimes avoids us or talks about something different from what we were previously talking about. Though I don't exactly see why, but maybe we could ask him tonight?"

"That's what I thought. And sure, let's talk ask about it and see what's bothering him.", finished Hamuko with a smile.

Minato smiled and felt better now that he answered his sister's worries. Both then continued their walk towards their uncle's apartment.

-I-

_Evening_

The three of them were eating dinner around the living room table. However, unlike most nights, dinner was silent and a tense atmosphere seemed to fill the apartment. In addition to the silence, none of them were making eye contact with each other.

This continued well into dinner until Hamuko finally decided to speak up, "Hey Uncle have you been feeling okay?".

Hideo Arisato lifted his head to meet his niece. "Oh, um, yeah I'm okay."

"Uncle….", growled Minato, who was now becoming frustrated with his uncle's refusal to answer.

Hideo then turned to his nephew and sighed, "Okay, okay. Fine I'll tell you the truth."

He straightened his back and motioned for the two siblings to get on the other side of the table. Both Minato and Hamuko complied and went to the other side of the table. They then looked at their uncle expectantly. Hideo began his explanation.

"All right. Well, you see, I've noticed how both of your grades have been very good as of late. And so it was during one of my days at the college that I overheard talk of a certain highschool."

Hideo continued on, " This highschool I've heard is a very prestigious one and it is privately owned by some wealthy family or other. Anyways, so I became curious and did some research on it. There I found out that they had this program where certain students who meet specific standards are eligible for scholarships that guarantee a free ride through the school. Seeing as how you both met the standards, I went and sent an application in for the both of you and it just came back saying that you were accepted."

Hideo finished his explanation, but was shortly questioned by his niece.

"Uncle then why did you seem all spacey and giving the cold shoulder if this is good news?" Said Hamuko.

Hideo then raked his hair through his dark blue-black hair and answered, "It's not the school or the scholarship that I'm worried about, Hamuko. Rather it's the location that's got me worried about if you both want to go or not."

Hamuko and Minato looked at one another and Minato asked, "So where is the school that has you all worried about?".

Hideo sighed and answered "It's in…. Tatsumi Port Island." .

Minato's grey eyes momentarily widened and he lowered his head. Hamuko looked at her brother and her face showed her worry. Then without a word, Minato got up from his position and was leaving for his room.

"No".

"I know your reason for refusing this Minato" said his uncle, "But please just reconsider about going to there. I think that it will be good for both you and your sister. Please just-"

"I told you no Uncle. And that's final." Growled Minato before he closed the door.

Silence filled the whole apartment and Hamuko and Hideo were left at the table. They continued to stare at the door. This seemed to go on for a good amount of time.

Hamuko then stood up and looked at her uncle. "Uncle, would it be alright if we had some time to think about it and then give you an answer?"

Hideo looked up at her and said, "Of course."

With that Hamuko went towards the door and went in to join her brother.

-II-

_Late Night_

The two Arisato twins shared a bedroom in the apartment and each had their own separate bed across from the other. As of now, Minato laid in his with his face towards the wall and Hamuko too had her face towards the wall. Neither one spoke.

After awhile, Hamuko turned towards her brother and called out to him,"Hey Minato-nii."

Hamuko could hear the shifting of blankets and soon her brother was now facing her. Hamuko was able to see the tiredness in his face clearly. As well as seeing hurt and pain in his grey eyes.

"Minato-nii…" she whispered.

"Hm? What is it Hamuko?" Minato asked.

"Does it still bother you. You know the accident?"

Minato thought to himself. Ten years had already gone by since their parents' death. And yet, the pain of their loss still lingered. Sure the nightmares he had when the incident first happened no longer appeared in his dreams lately, but the subject was still a sore spot for him to talk of.

"Somewhat", he finally answered, "I mean, sure nightmares don't happen anymore, but I still hate when it's brought up. And to tell you the truth, I really don't know why I snapped at Uncle at the moment."

"You were just upset Minato-nii", Hamuko said, with her face now facing the ceiling , "Besides I don't blame you for it. But do you think that we should consider Uncle's offer. I mean, it's nice that he's actually going through the trouble for us to be put into a better school. But if you don't want to, I have no problem with it. I don't want to do something that will make us both miserable."

Minato glanced at her and lifted his face to the ceiling too. What Hamuko said did make sense. Their uncle, their father's older brother, was really the only relative who cared about them. He actually tried to get close to them and do what was in their best interest. He didn't mistreat them nor insult them like the other relatives that they had stayed with previously.

Sure at first meeting him was awkward and they didn't exactly warm up to him on the first day. But, over time, they came to respect him and acknowledge him as their uncle.

But now, Minato was still uneasy about returning back to their hometown. Yet, he didn't want to outright refuse his uncle and his generous offer. Damn, it was so hard to choose.

Minato sighed and finally answered. "Maybe… I'll consider it."

With that, Minato again shifted back to his prior position of facing the wall and soon drifted into sleep.

Hamuko gave a faint smile, knowing that her brother would give it thought rather than plain refusal, and then she too went back onto her side and then joined her brother in sleep.

* * *

**A/N:**

-Reviews, comments, and constructive criticism are welcome.


	2. Ch 1 : Journey's Beginning, The Contract

**Author's Note:**

Oh, yes. Another thing that I want to announce is that here all the social links will be maxed out and that all of them will be included. However, I may want to change the Hermit social link (due to the fact that the one with Maya in Minato's is just a bit weird O_o). But other than that, the social links will remain the same (with some minor changes).

Disclaimer: Persona 3 and its characters belong to Atlus.

So I now give you the first chapter. Enjoy everyone!

* * *

_Time never waits._

_It delivers all equally to the same end._

_You, who wish to safeguard the future,_

_However limited it may be…_

_You will be given one year;_

_go forth without falter,_

_with your heart as your guide…_

Ch. 1

Journey's Beginning,

The Contract

_April 6, 2009_

_Afternoon_

A blue butterfly flitted in her vision for a brief moment before flying away. Hamuko continued to stare after the butterfly even when it flew away. She failed to notice how her brother still went on without her, before he too realized that she was still standing in her place.

Minato then turned back and shouted. "Hamuko! Come on, we don't want to be late!"

Hamuko snapped out of reverie and nodded back. She ran up to catch Minato and both then proceeded to walk to the train station.

The city was thick with people and it almost made it difficult for the twins to reach the station. People conversed, while some would just walk on through to work or any other business they had. Various lights would flash and commercials were continually played on the video screens there in the square.

As they both continued on, Minato and Hamuko soon had to stop and wait at a stoplight. Within seconds, crowds of people closed in around the two twins. All waiting for the chance to cross the street.

-III-

Water was rushing out of a sink faucet.

"So… I just… put this thing to my head…"

Pantings of panic and fear could be heard in the room. A young, brown-haired girl lay down on the floor and in her hand, she was holding something.

"Come on… no backing out…"

She then clenched the object tight in her hands.

A look of fear was present in her eyes as she placed the object to her forehead; the object was locked and loaded. Her hands shakily grasped the trigger, ready to fire.

Her breathing became more erratic.

-IV-

The crossing sign flashed green, indicating for pedestrians to walk. The whole crowd seemed to surge forward and it was difficult for the two to keep together. In fact, they were separated for awhile, but were able to rejoin further ahead.

"Hey. I hope we're not going too late or anything to get to the trains." huffed Hamuko.

"Don't worry. I don't think the stoplight was _that_ long. Besides, we're not too hard-up on time. There are still a couple of minutes left even when we do get to the train station." Replied Minato.

Hamuko nodded. The siblings continued on the way to the train station amidst the crowdedness of Tokyo.

Minato and Hamuko were able to arrive at the station just on time, as Minato had promised. However, an announcement blared on when they entered.

"_Attention passengers, attention passengers." _

Both perked their ears up to see if this announcement was important.

"_It seems that there has been a delay in the trains heading for Tatsumi Port Island. As of now, any trains headed for Tatsumi Port Island will be late by fifteen minutes. We are sorry for the inconvenience."_

Hamuko groaned, while Minato huffed in irritation. "Well so much for being on time." He muttered.

Hamuko looked at him and said "How 'bout we wait over there then?"

Minato looked at what she meant. There were a couple of benches nearby, which were unoccupied at the moment. "All right. Then let's go."

The siblings shifted their belongings and went over to the benches to sit. Upon sitting, they took out their mp3s and turned them on, as they waited.

-V-

The object fell from her grasp.

Her resolve crumpled. She was unable to do it. Her forehead glistened with sweat and her breath was now shaky.

"No… I-I can't do it! I can't!"

The girl put her head between her drawn up knees.

The faucet still ran on.

-VI-

_Late Night_

Minato looked outside at the night scenery that passed the train by. His mp3 still played on music, as well as his sister was listening to hers too. Only a few passengers, minus them, were still onboard the train. Most people didn't stay on the train this late at night.

Indeed, according to the announcement, the train in fact did arrive late. By THIRTY MINUTES. It also didn't help that the trip from Tokyo to Tatsumi Port Island was a good, fair distance away either. And so here they were. Riding the train at night.

_God, we are so late_, thought Minato, _I just hope that there's still some rooms at the dorm._

As Minato was focused on his thoughts while looking outside, he didn't notice that Hamuko was now leaning on his shoulder. Well that was the case until he felt her weight and he looked down at her. Hamuko, feeling her brother's gaze on her, looked up and smiled at him. Minato smiled back and instead decided to let her stay there.

Time seemed to go by slowly on the train. And it didn't help that the rumbling of the train created a monotonous sound that could put one to sleep. However, this was soon broken by an announcement.

_Attention passengers, _said the train conductor, _we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that was caused by the delay. Anyway, the next stop is Iwatodai._

Minato heard this and so he shook his sleeping sister up. Hamuko gave a yawn, blinked, and glanced around at her surroundings. She looked up at Minato.

"Here's our stop" he said.

Hamuko nodded and got up. The two siblings retrieved their bags and proceeded to get off the train.

They walked off the train and entered the Iwatodai station. Minato was looking down at the directions for the dorm. "It doesn't look that far from here".

"Really?" Hamuko looked over at the paper and saw. "Yeah, you're right. How long do you think it'll take us though?"

"I'd say about ten to fifteen minutes. Not too bad, I guess." Minato replied.

He then glanced up at the station clock to see. The clock read about two minutes till midnight. Minato's eyes widened slightly. _I wonder if it happens here too._

As soon as the thought entered his head, a green glow bathed over everything. All electricity and power seemed to shut off as well. Even their mp3s had ceased to function as well. Total darkness then covered the station.

Minato heard Hamuko gasp. He turned to face to face her.

Hamuko looked around. She then looked back at her brother. "Minato-nii. Let's keep moving."

Minato nodded. "Sure, let's get the hell out of here."

He then put the directions in his right hand and offered Hamuko his left.

She took his hand and soon the two were walking out of the station.

-VII-

Hamuko was being lead by her brother through the empty streets. _Sure it's better than being in a dark subway station, but this is still creepy. _Hamuko shuddered.

Yes, outside the green glow seemed more prominent than inside. Also red coffins lined the streets, all in various directions. But the most interesting feature of this place was the…

Hamuko suddenly felt something wet underfoot. She briefly glanced down.

_Blood._

It seemed that no matter where they were whether it be Tokyo or here, this strange occurrence would seem to happen.

Both Hamuko and Minato discovered this when the two were up late one night, working on some homework. At first they were frightened by the whole experience of seeing people become coffins, blood appearing, and the whole place cast off an eerie, green glow. And that no electronics worked, leaving everything dark.

However, over time, the twins seemed to adjust to seeing this strange phenomenon and soon accepted its existence. Though whenever it would happen at their uncle's or any of their relatives' places, they would stay indoors. They didn't still seem to fully trust it enough to venture outside.

Of course, this whole event was kept secret between the two of them. After all, who would believe that at around midnight people turn into coffins and everything ceased to work?

Not any sane person. So hence, the issue was never discussed with others.

All of these thoughts buzzed around in Hamuko's mind, as she and her brother kept walking around.

Meanwhile, all Minato was concerned about was just finding the dorm and getting indoors. Especially now that the night turned into this.

_I hate this time of night,_ he growled,_ it almost reminds me of when…_

Minato quickly pulled away from his thoughts and instead focused his energy back on the directions and would glance around to see if they're going the right way, the whole time he was holding onto his sister's hand.

The twins kept on going on until Minato abruptly stopped. However, Hamuko was not aware, so she bumped right into her brother's bag. Minato slightly staggered forward.

"Hey, what gives?! Why'd you just stop?" Hamuko snapped, as she stepped back.

"Well if you were paying attention, you would have noticed that we're here." Responded Minato.

Hamuko then looked at what was in front of her. And to say that she was surprised would be an understatement.

_Wow…._

The dorm was a red-brick, European styled building. However, like everything else at this time, the dorm's lights were off. Nonetheless, the building was beautiful.

Hamuko glanced at her brother. Minato looked around the building and commented, "Uncle wasn't kidding when he meant that this school was prestigious, especially when it has dorms this well-made."

"No kidding. But, let's get inside first. I don't want to stay out here any longer." She said.

"Right."

Minato reaffirmed the grip on his sister's hand and then opened the door.

Once inside the dorms, the siblings observed their surroundings. Despite the darkness they were still able to make out the room.

There were couches and a television set. Further on a dining table and chairs could be seen in the back. And for some odd reason, there also seemed to be a bar (?) in that same area with the dining table.

Finally, right next to the twins was an empty reception desk with flowers adorning it. Overall, the dorm looked pretty nice.

Minato released his sister's hand, allowing her to rub the soreness out of it from having it held so long.

Hamuko sighs, she then took off her headphones as Minato did the same.

"Finally we're here" she replied. Minato nodded his head in agreement.

Hamuko turned her head back towards the desk, however she then gasped.

"What? What is it, Hamuko?" Minato turned to face at what caused his sister's alarm.

"You're _late._ I've been waiting a long time for you."

Both of their eyes widened at the voice's owner. A young boy, with his hands propped on his hands, was now occupying the formerly empty reception desk. His blue eyes seemed a bit tentative, possibly due to the surprise he elicited from the two of them. The boy also had a mole under his left eye; an enigmatic smile covered his face.

"Now… If you both want to proceed," the boy snapped his fingers, making both twins look down at the desk. The boy gestured towards the desk, "Please sign both of your names here."

"What?" questioned Minato.

Hamuko too was still surprised by this whole encounter.

"It's a contract," the boy continued, before he then noticed on how the two were still shocked. "Don't worry" he reassured, "All it says is that you'll accept full responsibilities for your actions."

"…Full responsibilities?" Minato repeated, even more dumbstruck than before. "So you mean the both of us?"

The boy nodded, "Yes, and you know, the _usual stuff._"

Minato stared at the contract. He still didn't fully comprehend the whole situation, but he decided it was best to just follow along. He then stepped near the desk and grabbed the pen nearby.

He opened up the contract, but the strange thing about the contract was that there was only one line present.

**I chooseth this fate of mine own free will.**

_What the hell?, _thought Minato, _This just keeps on getting stranger and stranger._

Regardless, Minato signed his name anyway. When he was done, he handed the pen over to Hamuko. She signed on as well.

Now their names were signed onto the contract:

**Arisato Minato**

**Arisato Hamuko**

"There, it's done." Said Hamuko.

The boy nodded and took the contract. He then directly looked at the two, "No one can escape.". The contract vanished, "It delivers all to the same end." Soon the boy started to vanish, "You can't plug your ears or cover your eyes." The boy smiled again, "And so… it begins." Then, he was gone.

Minato and Hamuko were left standing in the darkness, wondering on what exactly just happened.

"Minato-nii… Do you think we should've signed that contract?"

"I don't know. But, whatever, I think we'll be fine." Minato looked at her and gave a reassuring look.

"Okay." She nodded.

However, both siblings heard shouting and running down the stairs.

"Who's there?!"

Both turned at whoever shouted and were surprised, there was someone standing near the edge of the doorway. _Is that a girl?, _thought Minato.

The girl's face was concealed in the darkness, but it could be seen that she looked distressed. She had on a pink sweater on her, her brown eyes pierced Minato and Hamuko. Fear then began to set in her eyes. Her hand twitched next to her side.

Minato was able to catch the faint movement and could discern that whatever the girl was reaching for it wasn't good.

"Stay behind me, Hamuko." Whispered Minato, his eyes narrowed. Hamuko complied and went behind her brother, her eyes not leaving the girl.

Minato assumed a defensive stance in front of his sister, ready to defend her at whatever cost. The girl then had her hand to her side and was about to pull out something when-

"Takeba! Wait!"

The pink-clad girl gasped and turned to face the commanding voice. Minato still stayed in his distance and Hamuko remained behind him. But she did peek from behind to look at this new person.

This new person was a young, crimson-haired woman. She was wearing on a uniform shirt and skirt, with a red bow around her neck. Hamuko could tell just from this small glimpse of her that this woman and her stance that she demanded both command and respect.

However, Hamuko was able to see that this woman and that girl wore the same red armband on them. _Wonder what that means?, _she thought.

At that same moment, when all three looked at her, everything returned to normal. The lights flashed on, illuminating everything and everyone. And even both of the twins' mp3s came back on, with the music blaring from their headphones.

The pink-clad girl sighed, relieved upon seeing the crimson-haired woman. Minato slightly relaxed, knowing that by now that these people were not going to do them. However he felt a small tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Hamuko looking up at him.

"Minato… I don't think that they're going to fight us."

"I suppose." Minato then completely relaxed and went towards his sister's side.

The crimson-haired woman walked next to the pink-clad and fixed her gaze unto the two occupants. "I didn't know that you'd arrive so late," she said, "Would you care to explain?"

Minato blinked, he still felt overwhelmed by this chain of whole events, but he managed to pull himself back.

"Ah, yes… Um… You see our train had a major delay. So we came to the station a lot later than what was planned. We're sorry." Minato finished his explanation with a bow. Hamuko had bowed as well.

The woman blinked and then slightly chuckled, "Well, I guess that explains it. My name is Mitsuru Kirijo," she nodded, "I'm one of the students who live in this dorm, as well as a senior."

Hamuko, who was now feeling more courageous, went on to introduce themselves. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Hamuko Arisato and this idiot here is my older, twin brother Minato Arisato." She grinned, knowing on what was to come.

"Hey! Who're you to call me an idiot?!" Minato glared.

Mitsuru gave a small laugh, "Minato and Hamuko Arisato… It's a pleasure to meet you both."

The pink-clad girl then glanced at the both of them and asked, "Umm…Who exactly are they?".

"They're both transfer students that came in from out of town," Mitsuru answered, "It was a last minute decision to assign them here. However, eventually they will be moved to their respectable dorms."

The brunette then asked again, "Do you think it'll be okay for them to be here?".

Mitsuru looked at the two again and said, "I guess we'll wait and see."

Minato and Hamuko looked at one another, before they were then interrupted by Mitsuru who continued.

"This is Yukari Takeba," gestured Mitsuru towards the brunette, "She'll be a junior this spring, just like you two are."

"…Hey." She greeted.

"Nice to meet you." Nodded Minato.

Hamuko though had to ask, "Hey… Why do you guys have guns?"

Yukari froze in her place, she then quickly covered hers. But Mitsuru seemed calm about the whole matter.

"Well, you both understand how dangerous things have gotten these days" smiled Mitsuru "It's for self-defense. Of course, they're not real guns."

_Yeah, right._

Both twins were surprised by the explanation, especially by how the guns were not real.

Still, they just left it at that. After all, never question the person with a gun. That's just plain stupid.

Mitsuru than said, "It's starting to get late. Because the both of you went through such a long journey, the two of you should get some rest." She then looked at Minato, "Your room is on the second floor, at the end of the hallway." To Hamuko, "Your room is on the third floor, across from Takeba's."

Minato looked at Mitsuru, "What about our stuff?". Minato was hoping that those guys from the moving didn't mess up with their belongings.

Mitsuru answered, "They should all be up in your rooms."

"Thank goodness." Said Hamuko, who was relieved at hearing this.

"Well then," said Mitsuru, "I will escort Arisato to her room, while Takeba will escort the other Arisato to his."

Both Minato and Hamuko looked at each other before Hamuko said, "Umm… Kirijo-senpai? How will it work if both my brother and I are called Arisato? I mean… Sooner or later, we will get each other confused about who is who. So how would it work?"

Minato nodded.

Mitsuru sighed. _I hadn't thought of that_.

"Very well." She replied, " I will address Minato as Arisato-san and Hamuko as Arisato-chan ,if both of you are present in the same room. Other than that, I will mostly address you as Arisato individually. Does that seem better?"

The two nodded. "Yeah."

"Good," Mitsuru said, "Then come with me, Arisato." She then turned and began to walk up the stairs.

"Okay. I'm coming." Hamuko got ready and began to follow Mitsuru. But before she left, she turned towards Minato.

"Good night, Minato-nii!"

"Good night, Hamuko." He replied back.

Satisfied, Hamuko smiled and went up after Mitsuru. Leaving, Minato and Yukari alone in the lobby.

Yukari looked from where Hamuko once was and then to Minato.

"Y'know, you two don't look like you're related. Much less being twins."

Minato looked at her, "Yeah, we seem to get that a lot. But, nevertheless, she is my twin sister." He then looked at the stairs.

"So shall we?"

Yukari continued to look at him, before noticing that he was staring at her. "Hm? Oh right," she said, " Follow me then."

She then went up the stairs, with Minato following closely behind.

-VIII-

Hamuko followed Mitsuru up the stairs onto the third floor. However, it was quiet between the two of them as Hamuko didn't know what to really say.

Soon they arrived outside of the door of her room, Mitsuru turned around to face her.

"Here we are. This will be your room, until arrangements are made for you and your brother being transferred to the regular dorms."

Hamuko nodded.

"And this is your key." Mitsuru then handed a key to Hamuko. "This is for your room. I recommend that you do not lose it."

Hamuko looked down at the key and then back to Mitsuru, "Got it, Kirijo-senpai."

Mitsuru gave a small smile. "Excellent. Very well, then I will let you get settled in and rest. Takeba will wake you in the morning and get you ready for school. Good-bye."

She then began to walk away, but then remembered something.

She turned back to Hamuko, who was already opening the door, and asked her.

"Oh yes. Arisato, did you and your brother encounter anything strange on the way here?"

Hamuko momentarily froze. _Wait, does Senpai know about that weird stuff that happens at night? Or am I just over thinking this? Well, for now I think it's better to not tell her about it. Or else I may sound like a crazy person talking about blood and coffins. Alright, here goes._

"Um, no. Everything was alright when we went from the train station to here. Why Kirijo-senpai?" She asked.

Mitsuru slightly narrowed her eyes, she was still tempted to question further, however she'd thought it best to leave that for another time.

"Nothing. I was just curious. Anyways, good night Arisato." And with that, Mitsuru turned and began to walk away.

"Good night, Kirijo-senpai." Called Hamuko back to her.

She opened the door to her room and went it. She then saw that indeed all of her things were there. She closed the door and went to prepare the bed.

Hamuko then began getting ready for sleep and preparing stuff for tomorrow. When that was finished, she took off her hairclips and let her hair fall down. She then dressed into her pajamas.

She turned off the lights and got into bed. It didn't take long for her to sleep, as she was tired during the train ride.

But as she slept, her thoughts though began to drift around on what school was going to be like and all the things that had happened today.

-IX-

Meanwhile with Minato, the two of them managed to strike up a small conversation. It was still somewhat awkward, but it was better than complete silence. It didn't take long for them to reach the end of the hallway where Minato's room was.

They both stopped in front of the door and Yukari then turned around to face him.

"This is it." She said. "Pretty easy to remember, huh? … Since it's right at the end of the hallway."

"Yeah, it is." Answered Minato. He quickly looked around his surroundings before again focusing on Yukari.

"Oh," gasped Yukari, as she remembered something. She put her hand in her pocket and fished around for something. Until, she finally was able to get it out. It was a key.

"Here," she said, before handing it to Minato, "Make sure you don't lose your key, or you'll never hear the end of it…" .

Minato got the key, but not before he slightly brushed up against her hand for a quick second. He slightly blushed at the contact.

_Sheesh, what's with me? Since when did I get embarrassed about touching a girl? _ Minato shook the thoughts out of his head and gripped the key in his right hand.

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind."

"So, any questions?" asked Yukari.

Minato searched around to see if he had any. Then something hit him.

"Hey, Takeba-san? What's the contract for anyway?"

Yukari looked at him, confused. "Huh? What contract?"

Minato's eyes slightly widened. _So I guess it wasn't necessary for the dorm. Then what was that boy talking about with "full responsibilities" and "actions"? Ugh, my damn head is starting to hurt just from thinking of all of this._

Minato was so focused on his thoughts, that he didn't see Yukari move a little closer to him.

"Hey… are you okay?" she asked him.

Minato looked back at her, concern was seen in her eyes.

"Yeah.", he answered, "Yeah. I'm okay. Never mind about what I said, I think I'm just tired from the trip, that's all. Guess, I was seeing things because of that."

"Alright." Yukari decided to leave it at that. She turned her head away a little. Her mind working on what to say next.

She then looked at Minato. Minato was currently rubbing the back of his head, unknowing of what was to come.

"Hey…" she started at hesitantly, "Can I ask you something?"

Minato stopped and looked back at her and answered, "Sure. What is it?".

"On your way here from the station, was everything okay?"

Minato froze. He looked back at Yukari.

_Huh? Do these people know about it too? I mean, sure they weren't coffins during it, but how? No. I just got to act normal. After all, I don't want to freak anyone out and look like some crazy person who says that they see blood and coffins every night._

"Yeah, everything was okay." He answered casually.

Yukari looked at him a little strangely, but appeared to have accepted his answer anyway.

"Okay then. Yeah, you do seem alright."

Minato gave a small sigh of relief. _Good._

"Alright, well I'll see you later." She then turned to walk away, but suddenly stopped.

"Oh, right." She remembered, "Tomorrow morning I'm going to wake you and your sister up and help you guys with school. So be ready. Anyways, good night Arisato-kun."

" 'Night Takeba-san." Yukari then resumed walking and proceeded to go up the stairs. Minato continued to watch her as she left. When she was gone, Minato unlocked his door and went inside.

He locked the door and observed the room. His stuff was here, just as Mitsuru had promised. Minato then began to get ready for tomorrow and for bed.

He was done fairly quickly, and so he began to take his clothes off. Then, he went to bed in only his boxers.

But, unlike Hamuko, sleep did not come to him easily. He stared up at the ceiling, all the while questions kept bugging him about what just happened today.

Then after what seemed like hours, Minato's eyelids started to close and soon he fell asleep.

* * *

**A/N:**

-Comments, reviews, and constructive criticism are welcome.


	3. Ch 2: First Day of School

**Author's Note:**

Here's the second chapter. Thanks everyone for viewing my story. I'm glad that you guys enjoy reading it.

So please enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: Don't own Persona 3 or its characters. They belong to Atlus.

* * *

Ch. 2

First Day of School

_April 7, 2009_

_Early Morning_

Minato was observing himself from the mirror. He was looking at the school uniform on him and was thinking about how the day was going to turn out.

*Knock* *Knock*

His thoughts were interrupted and he looked at the door, wondering who it was.

"Hey, it's me Yukari. Are you awake?"

"Yeah, Minato-nii. You better be up or else I'll bust in and wake you up myself."

Minato rolled his eyes. His sister would often threaten waking him up due to his habit of sleeping in. So he knew that she would bust in and do so, regardless of there being company or not.

"No, I'm awake." He answered, "I'll be there in a sec."

He then quickly got his mp3 and put it on him and went to open the door. When he opened it he saw Yukari and Hamuko standing there.

"Morning, Minato-nii." Greeted Hamuko, with a smile on her face.

"Morning" he greeted back, then he faced Yukari. "Morning Takeba-san."

"Morning Arisato-kun. Did you sleep well last night?" Yukari asked.

Minato then gave a small yawn, "More or less. How 'bout you?"

"Alright, I guess", she answered, "But now it's getting late. So I think we should head off now. You ready?"

Minato nodded. _That's right. She's supposed to show us the way to school._

"Yeah, I'm ready."

"Alright." Yukari smiled. "Let's go then."

Yukari then began to walk off, leading the way for the two siblings. As they followed her, Minato and Hamuko were talking amongst themselves.

"Hey, Minato-nii. What do you think of this uniform?"

Minato gave her a quick full look and answered, "They're not too bad. Better than the ones in our other school. I think you look good in it."

Hamuko giggled, "Thanks. You don't look bad yourself Big Bro."

"Hey, come on you two. We don't want to get late." Shouted out Yukari at the twins, who were quite a distance behind her.

"Okay, okay. We're coming." Reassured Minato.

With that the two twins ran up to join Yukari and soon all three went off towards the school.

-X-

They were riding the monorail to school. It was crowded with mostly students, all of them wearing the same uniform as they were.

_This is a lot of people, _thought Hamuko, _Just how big is this school?_

However her thoughts were interrupted by Yukari, who began talking.

"Yeah, we have to take the monorail in order to get to school. Bet you guys didn't have to do so at your last school, huh?"

"No. But it was more of hassle to get there. Especially since a lot of people were going to either work or school, making the mornings in Tokyo a hell of a lot more busy." Answered Minato, who was now recounting those memories of him and his sister getting through the crowded city to get through to school.

"Mmmm… . No, here traffic is not that much of an issue. After all, we're going to arrive at the Port Island station and then walk for awhile. But even walking there, it's only a short distance to the school. So no traffic problems." Yukari assured.

Hamuko sighed in relief. "Well that's great. I hated back at Tokyo at the fact that most of our mornings were spent avoiding near collisions with cars."

"That, and if it were raining the other day, we would sometimes get splashed on." Added Minato, frowning.

Yukari giggled a little. "S-sorry about that," she apologized, "I'm pretty sure you guys will be alright. So don't worry about it."

She then turned her head to gaze out the windows. "Besides, riding the train is my favorite part. Since it makes me feel liking I'm gliding over the sea." She sighed in contentment.

Hamuko then focused her attention outside as well. She noticed that for the first time that they **were**, in fact, over the sea. "Wow. That is pretty amazing." Agreed Hamuko.

But as she said that, Hamuko noticed her brother give a slight shudder. _Oh, right…_

Even though he won't say it, Hamuko knows that he hates being over the water. Because it reminds him so much of that night on **that** bridge.

So ,without a word, Hamuko went a little closer to her brother's side. Minato looked at her and gave a small smile.

_Thanks_, he said.

_No problem,_ she seemed to say in her own smile.

Hamuko then turned slightly from her brother and gasped. Minato then turned his gaze from his sister and looked at what she saw.

There was a huge building structure on that island in the distance.

"Is that…?" Hamuko asked.

"Yup. That's Gekkoukan High right in the middle of that island." Confirmed Yukari.

Minato and Hamuko could only continue to stare in awe.

-XI-

All three were now right outside of the school. Students were walking past them, many were talking amongst themselves. However, every now and then, stares or looks would be thrown their way. Minato outright ignored them, but they were starting to bug him.

_What's with these people? Have they never seen new kids around here or what? _, Minato thought.

Another thing that Minato noticed along the way was that Yukari would be greeted by what seemed like half the school or so.

_Hmmm. I guess she's popular around here_, he thought.

But, when they reached near the school gates, Yukari suddenly stopped. She turned to face him and Hamuko.

"Well, we're here." she said, "Welcome to Gekkoukan High!"

-XII-

The three juniors were now gathered in the front lobby, near the shoe lockers. Students were gathered in clumps, here and there, to see where there homerooms were. Thus making it crowded as well.

"You two will be okay from here on out, right?" questioned Yukari to the two of them.

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Answered Minato, who in fact had no idea where to start. Still, he didn't exactly want him and his sister to feel like a burden to Yukari. But soon his questions on where to start were answered.

"Alright. Well, first you need to go see your homeroom teacher. The Faculty Office is on the left." said Yukari, who pointed down the left hall, "Down there."

"'Kay." Muttered Minato.

"Right." Replied Hamuko.

"…And that should wrap up the tour." Said Yukari, "Any other questions before I go?"

The twins both shook their heads.

"Okay then." Replied Yukari.

But as she was about to leave, she then whispered, "Hey… About last night… Please don't tell anyone what happened, okay? … See ya later."

She then walked off. Minato looked after her, till he saw her go down a hall.

_So they do know about it. I wonder…_

But, as Minato's thoughts were on the serious, Hamuko's were on a different way of thinking.

"Last night? Did something happen between you two? Wow, you move fast Minato-nii." Teased Hamuko, a sly grin on her face.

Minato looked away to focus on his sister, a light blush colored his face. "W-what? No, th-that's not it. I… We didn't ….Damn it Hamuko!" he growled.

Hamuko laughed at seeing her brother's flustered face. It was so easy to embarrass him. She continued to laugh until she saw her brother's disapproving scowl.

"Ahahaha…ha…" she then stopped and looked at her brother. "Sorry. I just couldn't resist. You're just so fun to tease Minato-nii."

"…"

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Forgive me?"

Minato continued to glare, but then he sighed. "Yes."

"Yay." She gave Minato a quick hug and then let him go. She looked up at him. "Besides Minato-nii, I understood what she meant. Basically, we just do what we've been doing all along."

"Pretty much." He agreed.

Hamuko looked off to the side and saw where a group of students were gathered near a bulletin board. "Hey. Let's find out where our homeroom is."

Minato looked at what she was looking at. He turned back and nodded.

The siblings went off to where the bulletin was. When they got there, they saw that it did have the listings for homeroom. While the two of them were now looking for names, Minato couldn't help but overhear into conversations.

"Hmmm… So there it is. Class F, huh? And it's being taught by…. What?! Ms. Toriumi?! Awww… I was hoping for Ms. Kanou." He heard a student groan.

"Awwww…. So we're in different classes." Another said.

He also heard bits of an argument between two students over why one was wearing a P.E. uniform. Meanwhile, Hamuko put her full attention onto finding their names.

She went over each paper, but with no success. "I don't see our names here." She replied.

Minato then looked over the papers too, and he also was unable to find them. "Me neither." He answered, "Let's look again to make sure."

The two once again combed over the names one last time. Though, like the last time, it seemed that their names weren't on until Minato spotted a small note on the board.

He took a closer look and was able to make out their names.

**Arisato Minato**

**Arisato Hamuko**

**-Class 2-F**

_Wow, no kidding about us arriving here at the last minute,_ thought Minato, _especially since our names are put out on a cheesy, little note._

He then looked at his sister, who was still searching, and gave her a nudge to get her attention.

"Hm?" She asked.

"I found them. See?" He pointed in the direction of the note. Hamuko then looked at the note and saw that their names were on it and that they were in the same homeroom.

"It looks like we're in the same homeroom, Big Bro." She said.

"Seems like it.", he agreed. "Well, now that this is taken care of. Want to go to the Faculty Office?" He continued.

Hamuko nodded and so they both went off into the left hallway. Along the way, they would look around their surroundings.

They walked down and would look at the doors to see where the Faculty Office was. It was then that Hamuko pointed out to Minato that Faculty Office was up ahead.

When in front, Minato opened the door and let the two of them inside.

Once inside, they gave a quick glance around. It seemed like any normal Faculty Office. It had chairs, tables, files, cabinets, books, and even a few teachers or staff was inside.

One of said teachers looked up from their things and proceeded to walk up to the two siblings. She was a woman with brown hair and was dressed in a brown shirt and pants.

"Oh, are you two the new students?" she greeted.

They nodded.

"Minato and Hamuko Arisato. Both of you are in eleventh grade." All the while as she said this, she was flipping through papers in a file. "Wow, you two have lived in a lot of different places."

_Unfortunately,_ they thought. The case being that they were shuffled from relative to relative for most of their lives. And the fact that most of their relatives really didn't want them around, which was especially true in Minato's case.

It wasn't until their Uncle Hideo took them in that they actually managed to be in one place for a long period of time.

The woman continued on, "Let's see… In 1999… That was what, ten years ago? Your parents-" She then gave a gasp.

Minato knew the reason. Ten years ago, their parents passed away in a car accident. And only he and Hamuko were alive.

"I'm sorry… I've been so busy that I was unable to read this beforehand." She soon apologized.

_At least she apologized afterward, _the twins thought. Not many did after knowing the fact and would pity them for their situation.

"It's alright."

Minato glanced at his sister. "Yeah, it's fine." He added.

The woman looked between the two and nodded. "I'm Ms. Toriumi. I teach Composition. Welcome to our school."

"It's nice to meet you." "Nice to meet you." They both greeted.

"My, you two are polite. Others your age should follow your examples." Ms. Toriumi complimented.

"Have you two seen the classroom assignments yet? You'll both be in Class 2-F; that's my class." She continued. "But first, we need to go to the auditorium. The Welcoming Ceremony will be starting soon. Follow me."

Ms. Toriumi began to walk towards the auditorium and Minato and Hamuko followed behind.

-XIII-

_This is so boring. _ Hamuko mentally groaned.

She looked over at Minato and saw that he was faring no better. But, it was truly a miracle that he was actually still awake. Normally, he would turn on his mp3 and pass out.

Hamuko turned from her brother and tried to focus on the principal's speech.

The principal was a short, bespectacled elderly man. The speech he was giving was from a podium in the school's auditorium.

"As you begin the new school year", he addressed, "I'd like each of you to remember the proverb, 'If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well.' When applied to student life, this means…"

He still went on.

_Oh, Kami-sama. If you are merciful, please kill me now. _Hamuko begged.

But, as she was silently praying to the gods, she overheard a student talking with her brother. She looked from the corner of her eye to see what was going on.

"Hey. You came to school with Yukari and that other girl, the transfer student, this morning, right?" questioned the student, "I mean, I saw you walking with them. Hey, do you know if they're single or not?"

Hamuko saw Minato tense up and his eye twitch. She smirked.

"No. They're both taken already." Minato replied.

"Really?... Aw man, here I thought I could've gotten the transfer student if not Yukari." The student moved back in his seat and sulked.

Minato then turned to face the front, a small satisfied smirk on his face. _Classic, Minato-nii._

Hamuko knew that what he said was far from the truth. She did not have a boyfriend, nor did she believe that Yukari had on too. Knowing her brother, it was said in order to keep the boys off of her back. She did appreciate him looking after her and in return, she would do the same for him.

However, the conversation between Minato and the student did not go unnoticed. A teacher had called out, "I hear talking. I believe it's someone from Ms. Toriumi's class."

Hamuko then heard Ms. Toriumi shushing the students, "Shhh! Be quiet! You're going to get me in trouble!"

Everyone shushed up momentarily, before a few resumed talking. But to Hamuko's dismay, she heard most of the talk now being said of her brother and her.

_Well, so much for having a low profile._

-XIV-

_After school_

Minato and Hamuko were sitting in their desks. They were assigned to sit in the second row, side by side. Most of the students had already left, leaving them to sit there.

But now, Minato and Hamuko got up and were getting their things to leave. When they were done, they began to leave for the dorm.

But they only took a couple of steps before-

"'Sup, you guys?"

Minato and Hamuko both blinked at the boy in front of them. He was wearing a cap on his head and seemed their age, but was slightly taller than Minato. Also, instead of wearing the standard uniform, he wore a blue dress shirt with a necklace hanging from his neck. And he had a goatee on his face and was now looking at the twins with his grey eyes.

"Ha ha", his eyes twinkled in amusement; "You both look like a deer in headlights."

"Um…" Hamuko started. "Who are you?"

"Errr…yeah… I don't think we met before." Continued Minato, who was surprised at the guy's friendliness.

"Me? I'm Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya." He greeted.

Minato gave a small smile, it was unusual for him and his sister to get approached like this. But he didn't seem to mind Junpei, he sounded genuinely friendly.

"It' s nice to meet you." He greeted. "I'm Minato Arisato and this is my younger twin sister Hamuko."

"Hi!" She called out.

Junpei whistled, "Wow, you guys are twins? I gotta admit though, you guys don't look related."

Minato and Hamuko sighed. "We get that a lot." Admitted Hamuko.

"I bet." Said Junpei. "But, hey. I'm just like you guys; I transferred here in eighth grade so I know what it's like bein' the new kid around here."

"Hmmm", Minato paused, "Well we've moved around a lot. So it's not that big a deal."

"Dude, really?" Junpei blinked. "Where have you guys been living the past couple of years then?"

"With an uncle." Answered Hamuko. "But that's not important. Hey, Junpei? Why did you come up and want to talk with us in the first place?"

"Just to make sure you guys don't freak out here on your first day.", Junpei beamed, "So that's why I decided to come by and say, "Hi!". See what a nice guy I am!"

Junpei was shortly interrupted when the door opened. Minato and Hamuko looked past Junpei and saw that it was Yukari.

Yukari was walking towards them, Junpei turned to what captured the twins' attention and he smiled.

"Hey, it's Yuka-tan!" He shouted. "I didn't think we'd be in the same class again."

Yukari then stopped and said, "At it again, huh? I swear, you'll talk to anyone if they'll listen. Did you ever think that you might be bothering someone?".

"Oh, come on!" Junpei groaned. "I was just bein' friendly."

Yukari rolled her eyes, "If you say so."

She then turned and looked at Minato and Hamuko. She smiled at them.

"Anyway, it's some coincidence that all of us are in the same homeroom, huh?" She asked.

"Yeah, I know." Answered Minato.

"Yep." Added Hamuko.

"Um, hello?", Junpei cut in , "Aren't you guys forgetting I'm in the same class too? C'mon, let me join in on the fun."

"Sure Stupei", Yukari again rolled her eyes, "So that'd you butt right into our conversation."

"Hey!" He said. "Stop callin' me that. By the way… I heard you guys all came in together to school. The whole school's been talking about it. So come on, what's going on with that?"

Minato and Yukari just gasped at Junpei. Hamuko just stared at Junpei, like he grew a second head. "Eh?"

"C'mon! Gimme the dirt!"

"T-There's _nothing _except that we all live at the same dorm", Yukari stammered, "Why are people still even talking about it?! Now, you have me worried about this, thanks a lot Junpei!"

Hamuko hung her head while Minato cleared his throat, trying to find a way to change subject, "A-anyway, should we get going Hamuko?"

"Wait," Yukari stopped, "Umm…Arisato-kun…you and your sister didn't say anything to anyone about… you know what, did you?"

Minato shook his head. "Of course not."

Yukari sighed in relief, "Good. But, seriously, don't tell anyone about last night, alright?"

Junpei's ear pricked up and he looked at the two, surprised.

_Aw, dammit. _Minato groaned. _Not this again._

"….."

"Wh-what?" Yukari hesitated.

"L-last night?! Dude, what did you and-"

Minato and Yukari both blushed. Yukari tried to stammer out a response.

"W-wait a minute! Don't get the wrong idea! Listen! I just met him yesterday, and there's absolutely nothing between us! Besides, his sister was with him too!"

Junpei looked to Hamuko for confirmation. She felt bad for her brother, so she decided to help him out.

"Yeah, Junpei. Nothing happened." She replied.

Junpei still seemed a bit unconvinced, "You sure?".

"Positive." Hamuko replied, nodding her head for emphasis.

"Hmmm…. . Okay, I take your word for it." He said.

Both Minato and Yukari sighed, glad that the awkward situation was laid to rest.

"Geez." Yukari said. "Well, I've gotta go now. I have to take care of something for the archery team. See you guys back at the dorm!" She then began to walk out of the classroom, but before she completely left, she turned around.

"Junpei, you better not start any rumors, got it?" And with that, she left.

Junpei sighed, "Ah, who cares? Nobody takes rumors seriously anyway. She's so paranoid".

He turned back to face the twins, "But, seriously it's your guys' first day here, and people are already talking about you. And believe or not, Yuka-tan's pretty popular around here. So…"

He then went up to Minato and gave him a nudge, "You da man!" He gave a wink.

Hamuko giggled at Minato's expression, and soon began to laugh. Junpei soon joined in with her. And even though the laugh was at his expense, Minato smiled when he saw that his sister was happy and laughing.

Junpei suddenly then said, "Heheh, this is gonna be fun year! I can already feel it!".

When they all finally managed to calm down, Minato turned toward his sister. "Hey, do you want to go now Hamuko?"

Hamuko nodded and the two began to walk off but were soon stopped by Junpei.

"Hey guys!"

They turned back to him. Junpei ran a bit, till he caught up with them.

"Guys, would you like to go out somewhere to eat? It'll be my treat."

As if in response, both of the twins' stomachs growled. Junpei then slightly paled. "Hey, you guys aren't gonna…um…eat me dry are ya?"

Minato could already tell where this was going. In other words, Junpei wanted a little money on their part. Minato supposed it was fair, after all, him and Hamuko could eat like ravenous wolves when hungry. So it wouldn't exactly be right to pawn off the whole bill on just Junpei.

"Sure, we'll come with you." Minato said. " And how about we split the bill between the three of us?"

Hamuko enthusiastically said, "Yeah, let's do it!".

Junpei smiled. "Hell yeah, let's go! Yeah, I knew you guys were awesome!".

All three juniors went off to go eat. And along the way, Junpei showed them around the city. It turned out to be a fun day for all of them.

-XV-

_Evening_

"Welcome back", greeted Mitsuru. She was sitting in one of the lounge chairs, reading a book.

"Hey." The two twins greeted.

"Senpai?" Hamuko asked. Mitsuru looked up, "Yes?"

"Would it be alright if we can go out during the nighttime?" She continued.

"Not for now." Mitsuru answered. "It's quite dangerous to go out on your own during the night. I'm afraid all you can do is return to your rooms for the night."

"I see…" Hamuko murmured, disappointed.

Minato looking at his sister said, "Hey, why don't we finish up with some of our stuff Hamuko? It's not like we did a lot last night. That and get some sleep. All that food made me a bit sleepy."

Hamuko looked up at her brother. It was true that she did feel a little tired and she did want to finish up with her things.

"Okay."

Minato nodded satisfied. "Let's go then." He turned to face Mitsuru, "Good night Senpai."

Mitsuru looked up, "Good night, you two."

He nodded and he went with his sister up to their respective rooms. They also said good night to Yukari, who was sitting in one of the dining room chairs. And they were gone upstairs.

-XVI-

_Late Evening_

Mitsuru continued to read the novel. Every now and then she would take a sip from the teacup that was nearby.

She soon then heard footsteps coming down from the stairs. She glanced up from her book and looked to see who it was.

A huge, silver-haired teen wearing a red vest with black pants and gloves was standing in front of her. He had a black duffel bag slung on his back.

"I'm going out for a bit." He said in his usual, husky voice.

Akihiko Sanada, captain of the boxing team and Mitsuru's long time friend, continued to stand there waiting for her response.

"Hm?" Mitsuru cocked a trimmed, red brow up. Akihiko smiled, he knew that this was Mitsuru's way of asking on what he was exactly going to at this time of night.

"Didn't you see the newspaper?", he continued, "There's a lot going on."

Mitsuru sighed heavily, "…I know."

"People who had no problems before are suddenly developing acute cases of Apathy Syndrome", she stated, "I've seen it in the news quite often lately. They say it's due to stress but…".

"Yeah, right. It has to be THEM." Akihiko spat, earning a soft glare from Mitsuru. He continued, "Otherwise, it's not worth my time…".

She chuckled softly, "You have a one-track mind… . Will you be okay on your own?"

"The Chairman will be here for the next couple of days, but after that, I can…" She said.

Akihiko interrupted her, " Don't worry. I'm just getting a little practice."

Mitsuru gave him a worrying look.

Akihiko gave her a soft look and smiled, "I'll be fine, Mitsuru."

With that, he left for outside.

Mitsuru looked as he walked out and closed the door. She sighed.

"This isn't a game Akihiko."

* * *

**A/N:**

-Cannot wait for Persona 3 the movie! Though I do hope that they do the game justice, as well as Minato (he will forever be Minato Arisato to me). Anyways, it'll be great to see how it goes. Reviews, comments, and constructive criticism are welcome.


	4. Ch 3: Blue Velvet

**Author's Note:**

Yay! Past 300 views! I'm so happy. Thanks everyone for viewing and reading the story. I truly appreciate it. So I now give you Ch.3. I am sorry if this chapter may seem short, but I will definitely make up for it in the next one. So look forward for that.

Anyways, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Persona 3 and its characters belong to Atlus.

* * *

Ch. 3

Blue Velvet

_April 8, 2009_

_Early Morning_

Hamuko heard Minato yawn beside her. She turned to face him.

She saw that he still had some sleep in his eyes and that he would try and rub his eyes.

Hamuko knew that Minato was never one to wake up for early mornings. Even if said mornings were during school, it was mandatory to get up early. So she would hear Minato grumble about wanting to sleep in late.

Right now the two of them were walking over to school. And it seemed that Yukari was right, getting to school didn't seem like such a hassle. If only this could be said for their other school.

The two continued on and were about to pass the school gates when they heard a couple of school girls talking.

_Oh great, more rumors? Don't people have something better to talk about in their lives? Sheesh. _Hamuko thought. Both Hamuko and Minato then stopped behind to hear, out of curiosity.

"Did you hear the rumor…?" asked one of the girls.

"Oh, um…. something about… a bathroom?" the other girl took a guess.

"N-no! Not that one! I mean the story about the first-year student!" the first girl went on, "Not only did she stop coming to school, she does nothing but sit and stare at the walls all day."

"If her mother tries to talk to her, she only mutters to herself, "It's coming… It's coming!"

"Huh. How about that." The second girl replied.

"You don't believe me..?"

But their conversation was interrupted by the first bell of school. The two girls went off.

"Well that's weird."

Hamuko looked at her brother.

"You think?"

"Yeah. But who knows? People like to exaggerate things. It may be right, or it may be wrong. Again, who knows?" Minato answered.

Hamuko looked away and then towards the front. A thought came to her.

She turned back, "Race you to the school!"

She ran off, catching Minato off guard. "Wha-? Hey!" He shouted, soon racing after her.

Hamuko was ahead and was laughing at her brother's attempts to catch up with her.

-XVII-

_Afternoon_

"Open your textbooks and we'll take a look at the first novel by… Zenzou Kasai." Ms. Toriumi frowned. "Ugh… why him?"

Minato looked up. Normally, he never would hear his teachers say much on the course material, but this was a first.

"I'd rather teach Utsubo Kubota. He became famous as a singer, but he also produced fine literature." Her disappointment showed at having Kasai chosen rather than Kubota.

"I wonder why it's not in the textbook. Well, I'll just bring Kubota's book next time." Her eyes brushed over the class until they stopped on-

"… Hey Junpei! Were you listening?" her eyes narrowed. "Who did I say was my favorite author?"

Junpei snapped out of his daydream and looked up. "H-Huh? U-umm…"

He then glanced at Minato and whispered, "Pssst. Dude, who does she like?"

Minato glanced back, rolling his eyes. _I knew this was coming. Though it doesn't help either that I'm right next to him. Damn, I don't think I'll be able to sleep in class as much._

Minato leaned a bit and whispered, "Utsubo Kubota."

"Utsubo Kubota!" Junpei declared.

"That's right! So you were listening to me after all!" exclaimed Toriumi, who was surprised that Junpei actually got the answer.

"Eheheheh….," He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Well, you know how I like to pay attention."

Ms. Toriumi glanced at Junpei, before resuming. Junpei then leaned over towards Minato, "Thanks, you saved my bacon Minato. If you hadn't, I probably would have had to buy her cake."

Minato replied, "No problem. But, you do owe me for this."

"Don't worry. I'll think of something to make it up to ya."

Minato nodded. He turned back to the front to listen.

But, he could hear from behind whispers from other classmates on how he helped out Junpei.

_Well, so much for a low profile, _he thought, but Minato did feel slightly popular.

-XVIII-

_After school_

After school ended, Minato and Hamuko were beginning to pack up their stuff and head back to the dorms.

But, as they were leaving the school, Hamuko asked Minato something.

"Hey, Minato-nii?"

"Hm?"

"Would you like to go out to those stores that Junpei showed us yesterday? I mean, I think it would be best to check out places on our own instead of heading back. What do you think?"

Minato answered back, "No."

"What?!" She said, shocked.

But, when she saw Minato turn to face her, she saw he had a small smile on his face.

"I was just kidding Hamuko. Sure, let's go."

Hamuko huffed in irritation. "I hate when you pull that trick. And it doesn't help that you mostly say things with a straight face either. So I can't tell if you're serious or not."

Minato leaned in and kissed her forehead. Then he looked at her, "Love you."

"Ugh," she groaned, but nonetheless, Hamuko knew she couldn't stay mad at her brother for long.

"Yeah, I love you too."

"So you wanna go?"

"Mm-hm." She nodded her head.

"Alright."

With that, the twins went off to the area where the stores were located near Iwatodai station. They hung around there until evening fell, so they then headed back for the dorms.

-XIX-

_Evening_

Hamuko and Minato came into the dorm's lobby. However, they did not expect to see the sight that they were now looking at.

Yukari was sitting down in one of the lounge chairs and was currently talking to an unknown man.

The man was tall and had glasses on. He had brown, wavy hair with a goatee and was wearing a brown jacket with a turtleneck underneath. The man continued on with his conversation with Yukari, but he then looked up to see the twins. He gave a smile.

Yukari turned around to see at what he was looking at.

"Oh, you guys are back." She said.

"So these must be our new guests." Exclaimed the man.

He got up from his seat and made his way over to the twins. Yukari followed from behind.

"Good evening." He greeted. "My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I'm the Chairman of the Board from your school." His smile still present.

_He seems nice_, remarked Hamuko. But when looking at her brother, she could see him look at the man with wariness. Minato almost always seemed to be cautious of new people.

The Chairman also seemed to notice Minato's wariness. "Oh, don't worry. I don't bite."

Hamuko could see Minato lower his guard a bit. _A bit._

But, it seemed he was a little calmer and introduced both him and Hamuko.

The Chairman nodded and continued, "Arisato… . Well, that name seems a lot easier to pronounce and remember than "Ikutsuki" doesn't it? Which is why I am not too fond in introducing myself. Heck, even I get tongue-tied with my own name sometimes. But please, have a seat." He gestured towards the chairs.

Then all of them went to sit down. The Chairman went back to his own seat, while Minato, Yukari, and Hamuko sat together on the other couch.

When they were all settled in, the Chairmen went on, "I apologize about the confusion with regarding your accommodations. However, it may take awhile longer before you receive the proper room assignment. Is there anything you would like to ask?".

Hamuko questioned, "Ummm… why did you exactly come here?"

He then answered, "To welcome you, of course. Speaking of which….where's Mitsuru, Yukari?" He looked at her.

"She's upstairs." Yukari responded.

"As diligent as always. Although, it doesn't hurt to come down and say hello." He sighed. "But, anyways, anything else?"

Hamuko looked at her brother. Minato was thinking about something, but soon snapped out of it. "Yes, just one more thing. Who else lives in this dorm?"

"There are only five students: You, your sister, Yukari, Mitsuru, and a senior named Akihiko Sanada."

"I see. Alright, I'm fine." Minato responded.

"Me too." Answered Hamuko.

"Then, I hope you two have a successful school year. Now if you'll excuse me."

Ikutsuki got up from his seat and went to leave. But, as he was going passed he said, "You two must be tired out from all the excitement. You should get to bed early. As they say, 'The early bird catches the bookworm'!" He chuckled and then left.

Hamuko winced, as well as Minato. _Oh god that's so cheesy. _

Minato mumbled about how the joke was god-awful, while Yukari groaned.

"Don't worry you'll get used to his lame jokes." Yukari reassured.

However, at the moment, Yukari's reassurance didn't seem to help.

"Well, I'm off." Minato said, he got up and looked at Hamuko. "Want to come with me?"

Hamuko looked at Yukari, "Shouldn't you also get some rest?"

"Uh, yeah. But I have some things to finish up first. So I'll be up for a bit." Yukari answered.

"Okay." Hamuko seemed satisfied. She got up and went towards her brother. "Let's go."

He nodded.

The two went up the stairs. But, when they went up onto the scone floor, Minato suddenly stopped.

He turned towards Hamuko, "Hey, do you think that he may be in on it?"

"You sure? That's a pretty big assumption Minato-nii. He could really just have been here to greet us, there's really no guarantee that he knows about what happens at night."

Minato looked unsure. "Maybe. I don't know. But, I do know that something's going on and that they're keeping quiet like we are."

Hamuko frowned. It was true that things did seem off. But, what could they do? Just all of a sudden tell the truth about the coffins, the power shutdowns, and the blood. No, they would look crazy and probably wouldn't be believed. But maybe….

"Minato-nii. What if they're in the same situation like us?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean", she started, "what if they know about it too, but don't want to say anything for fear of us looking at them like they're crazy. So if that's the case, then let's wait and see if they make the first move."

"Mmmm." He wondered. "I guess. That's probably our best choice right now."

"Mm-hm. So let's not worry right now about it. Agreed?" She asked.

"Agreed." Replied Minato.

"Right. So good night Minato-nii." She began to climb up the stairs to the third floor.

"Good night Hamuko." He called after her, before he went off towards his room.

-XX-

_Late Night_

Yukari didn't like to lie to the two twins. But, this was necessary.

Or, so she tried to convince herself.

Right now she was in the command room with Mitsuru sitting next to her. They were looking at the screen, which displayed feeds of both Minato and Hamuko's rooms.

The two were asleep, unsuspecting of what was going on.

From behind, Yukari heard footsteps approach.

"Working hard?"

The two girls looked back. Ikutsuki stood there, with his arms crossed. "How are they doing?"

Mitsuru turned back towards the screen. "They went to bed and are both now asleep. But, it did take Arisato-san awhile before he slept."

Yukari's face slightly blushed, upon remembering seeing the blue-haired boy getting ready for bed.

_No. Now's not the time for that,_ she scolded herself. She turned her focus back onto the situation.

"Mr. Chairman, do you think that they both are…?" Mitsuru asked.

Ikutsuki interrupted. "Well, let's wait and see for now. The Dark Hour is approaching."

All three then turned their faces towards the screen.

-XXI-

_Dark Hour_

The man was looking around frantically. He didn't know what just happened.

All of a sudden when the clock read 12:00 on his phone, everything changed.

The atmosphere cast everything into a greenish light, everything shut off, and coffins appeared in the place of people.

"Wh-what the hell is this?!" He cried out.

He continued looking around frantically, while he was backing away from the coffins. But, as he was backing away, he felt something underneath him. He looked down.

"Is this blood?!" He shouted down when he saw that he was standing in a huge pool of blood.

But, as he was looking down he noticed something wet drip down his face. He touched his face and pulled his hand back to look at what it was. It was a black liquid.

Pain suddenly seized the man and he gripped his head.

"What's happening….to me? …A….A…..Aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

The man then suddenly collapsed into the blood with a sickening splat.

-XXII-

"Hmmm… They're still sleeping.", mused Ikutsuki.

The screen showed that Minato and Hamuko were still asleep. Nothing seemed to change from how things were previous to midnight.

"The Dark Hour occurs every day at midnight; you could say that it's the "hidden" hour.", continued Ikutsuki, "During this time, an ordinary person Transmogrifies into a coffin, and is oblivious to all that occurs."

"Then, they must be…" Yukari said.

"Yes, as you can see, that they have retained their human form. They may still be asleep, but they are experiencing the Dark Hour. However, the question remains on whether they both have the **potential**." The Chairman explained. "Although, they must. If not, _they_ would have already preyed on them. Very interesting, though, that two siblings may possess the **potential**."

Yukari looked to the side. She shuddered.

"Scary."

"In any case, we should continue to monitor them for a few more days." Ikutsuki stated.

Mitsuru looked at him, "Yes, sir."

Yukari looked down, "I feel bad, though, spying on them like this…"

"Don't worry, Yukari. They may indeed have the potential. Who knows they even may be able to help us in fighting _them._" Ikutsuki reassured.

Yukari continued to look down, the reassurance did ease her a little.

She bit her lip.

-0-

"**Master…."**

"**Master Hamuko…"**

"**Master Minato…"**

Hamuko opened her eyes. _?!_

She was sitting down in a chair. She turned to the side and saw Minato was sitting down in a chair also. She looked forward again, but was now checking out their surroundings.

The room was covered in blue. The back wall had some sort of metal grating and chains, making the room look like a huge, blue elevator.

Hamuko then looked up and saw a giant clock with continuous moving hands. For awhile, she became mesmerized, but was brought out of it by the gentle music of a…

_They have a piano? _She thought.

It was until now that she realized her and her brother were not the only one in the blue room.

There was a strange-looking, old man with a long nose (_Is it possible to have a nose that long?)_ sitting across from the twins. Standing on each side of the man were two individuals: a young lady with bob-like hair and a blue dress and then a young man with a suit similar to that of a well-dressed bellhop.

The old man greeted with a mysterious smile, "Welcome to the Velvet Room, my dear young guests."

_The Velvet Room?_

"My name is Igor… I am delighted to make your acquaintance."

"It's… a pleasure." Hamuko responded, she then heard Minato say, "Yes, a pleasure."

"This is Elizabeth," Igor smiled as the lady smiled and nodded, " …and this is Theodore. They are residents of the Velvet Room, like myself."

"Pleased to meet you," Elizabeth bowed before Theodore took his stand as well.

"Please feel free to call me Theo," he bowed, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

The twins nodded. Minato then turned to face Igor.

"Where is this place exactly?" He questioned.

Igor chuckled. "This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter…It's been years since we've had a guest."

Then out of the table in front of Igor, the contract that the Arisatos signed appeared there. Igor then flipped his hand, the document opening as a result.

The twins' eyes widened.

They saw the only line that was present on the contract.

**I chooseth this fate of mine own free will.**

_So that's what that contract was for. I wonder why._ Questions flooded her mind, but many of whom she did not have an answer for. Hamuko could only wonder what was going on in her brother's mind if hers was going at the pace of a hamster on wheels.

"Only those that have signed the contract can enter here." Igor explained. "Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room."

"So only me and my sister can access this place?" Minato asked.

"That is correct." Igor smiled. "You are both destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so."

_Huh? What ability? _Hamuko wondered.

"I only ask one thing in return…that you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices you make."

It was still confusing, but nevertheless, they did get on what was being said.

"We understand." They said.

"Excellent," Igor then closed his eyes and then waved his hand once more, "Hold onto these…"

Faint blue glows radiated from the right hands of both Minato and Hamuko. Then, suddenly, a blue key appeared in their hands. The two's eyes widened, and they looked to Igor for an explanation.

" 'Til we meet again…" Igor said.

"No wait!" Hamuko shouted.

But soon, she began to feel tired and everything around her faded into black.

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**A/N:**

-I just realized something. In Persona 3, how come the teacher never notices when Minato/Hamuko give Junpei the answer to a question even though they are so close to the front of the class? Yet, in Persona 4, the teacher more or less can tell that Yu is the one that gives the answers to his friends even though he is sitting quite a distance in the back. Huh….

-Er… anyways…moving on. Thanks for reading this chapter and for reading this story. Please feel free to leave any comments, feedback, reviews, or even faves.

-Next chapter shall be epic!


	5. Ch 4: Awakening

**Author's Note:**

Hey, ShadowWolf187 here! I'm sorry about the delay with the chapter. College started and well….-_- . I'm not going to have much free time to write, however when I get the chance I will do so. In the meantime, I hope you guys find this chapter to your liking.

Also, thanks everyone for the views and faves. It's very much appreciated. As well as for following my story. Thanks!

Disclaimer: Persona 3 and its characters belong to Atlus.

Enjoy!

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Ch. 4

Awakening

_April 9, 2009_

_Early morning_

Minato shot out of bed. He looked around the room, frantically searching about. He continued like this for a few seconds, before he stopped. He massaged his temples.

_What was that? A dream? But, yet…it felt real at the same time._

Minato then glanced at the clock sitting near his bedside. He read that it was almost time for him to start getting ready for school.

_Well, there goes my morning, _he thought bitterly. Minato got up from his bed and proceeded to get ready.

-I-

Minato and Hamuko were walking up towards Gekkoukan. At the moment, however, they were engrossed in a serious conversation.

"So you had the same dream too, then?" Minato asked.

"Yeah," Hamuko replied, "We were both in this blue elevator room. And then there was this man with a long nose named Igor. He talked to us too, but when he finished, well I remember feeling sleepy and that's it."

"I felt the same way too. But, was what happened really a dream or not? It felt real enough to me." Minato said.

"I don't know, Big Bro. But, it probably was. I seriously doubt that you and I sleepwalked over to where that place was. By the way, do you remember what that place was even called? I forgot its name." She asked.

"It was called the Velvet Room." He answered.

Hamuko looked at her brother, "Oh, yeah. That's exactly what the long-nosed man said."

"You mean Igor?" Minato asked. He raised an eyebrow because of what his sister called Igor.

"Yes, Igor." Hamuko said, "Come on Minato-nii, don't tell me that you couldn't help but stare at that long nose."

Minato rolled his eyes. It was true that during their time in the Velvet Room Minato couldn't help but look at Igor's abnormally, long nose. But was it really the time to discuss just how a long nose like Igor's is not possible?

"Okay, yes, I admit that I would stare at it from time to time. But, can we get back to the subject?" Minato said.

"See. I was right; you couldn't help but look at his nose." Hamuko smirked.

"Hamuko!"

"Alright. Kidding aside, I have no idea why we both had the same dream. I don't even think that's even possible, truth be told." Hamuko said.

"I don't think so either," Minato agreed. "But what worries me the most is that that contract showed up."

"Yeah." Hamuko replied, her face now having a worried expression. She looked at her brother, "Minato-nii, just what did we even sign up for?"

He looked at his sister and then shifted his gaze forward. Minato was about to answer, but was interrupted by-

"Mornin' guys!"

The twins then looked towards the direction of the speaker.

Junpei was leaning next to the school gate. It looked like he was waiting there for awhile.

"Junpei, were you waiting here for us?" Hamuko asked.

Junpei smiled, "Yeah, but you guys didn't take too long."

"So why the waiting?" Minato asked, curious about Junpei's reason.

"Huh? Just thought you guys may want company." Junpei scratched his head. "That and I was gonna ask if you want to hang out with me afterschool. 'Cuz, you know, I still owe you dude for helping me out in class."

Minato then nodded. "Yeah, that's fine."

Junpei sighed in relief, "Sure."

Hamuko peeked out from her brother's side. "And what about me?"

Junpei looked at her, "You can come too if you want, Hamuko-chan."

"Yes!" She shouted.

Minato then heard the bell for school to begin ring. He looked at Junpei and his sister.

"We should get going guys." He said.

The two looked at him and nodded.

"Yep."

"Okay, Minato-nii."

The three then began to walk off towards the school building. Hamuko was walking in between Junpei and Minato.

And as they were going to head to their homeroom for class, the three juniors talked amongst themselves.

"But, you gotta admit guys. This is a perfect day," exclaimed Junpei, "The sky's blue… We're in our prime… What more could we ask for?"

"Well, you seem to be full of energy." Minato replied.

"And why shouldn't I be? Come on man, you got to enjoy life and its pleasures." Junpei scolded, before he gave a yawn. "Though I wouldn't mind taking a nice, little nap in class. After all, all this energy of mine's got to have some time to get replenished."

Hamuko frowned, "Oh no you're not, Junpei. I already have one idiot who likes to sleep in class. I can't afford to look after another one."

"Oi." Minato grumbled.

"Alright, fine." Junpei complained. "I'll stay up. Sheesh, I didn't take you up for being the serious one Hamuko-chan."

"I'm not." She remarked. "I usually leave that up to Minato-nii. But, every now and then, I have to cover for him. So sorry, but I can't cover up for you too Junpei."

"I get it, don't worry. But, I wish you could've helped me out today. After all, we got Classic Lit. today. Meaning, we're going to have to listen to Mr. Nasty o'l Ekoda's lecture."

-II-

_Morning_

"Ahem… I'm Mr. Ekoda. I'll be teaching Classic Literature. I'll be teaching about good, old Japan all year. Now some people say that Classic Lit. isn't relevant to everyday life, but oh, how they are wrong!"

Minato looked at Ekoda. Ekoda was a middle-aged man wearing a grey suit with a tie, and he had grey hair.

_This guy definitely has an ego_, Minato observed.

"The students, the other teachers… wrong, wrong, wrong! No one truly understands Classic Lit. ." He continued, until he noticed that some students weren't even paying attention at all. "Hey, are all of you listening to me? Wake up, children! Open your textbooks now. The first item on our syllabus is "Ise Monogatari", the origin of Japanese literature."

Minato and the rest opened their books and listened to Ekoda's rambling lecture. Minato put his head on his hand, while listening.

He looked from the corner of his eye to look at Hamuko. She was drawing doodles on some paper in her notebook, possibly half-listening to the lecture or not.

Minato smirked. He then turned his attention away from the lecture and daydreamed.

-III-

_After school_

Minato, Hamuko, and Junpei were walking down the stairs for the shoe lockers. They were going to get everything before going on their outing.

As they were nearing the lockers, Junpei spotted Yukari there. So he called out to her.

"Yo, Yuka-tan!"

Yukari looked up to see them, she waved. The group went up to meet her.

"Hey, guys. What are you doing?" Yukari asked.

"We're going out on the town with Junpei. Yukari-chan, would you like to join us? Since, afterwards we could then walk back to the dorm together?" Hamuko replied.

Yukari pondered the offer for awhile before answering, "Sure, I'll come. I don't have anything else planned."

"Okay." Hamuko smiled. She turned to face Junpei. Junpei nodded his approval, with a smile on his face. While Minato simply nodded.

"First let's get our things." He responded.

The others agreed. So they got their stuff out of the lockers and went out.

-IV-

"Impressive."

"No kidding.

Minato and Hamuko looked amazed at the mall. They have never been to this part of Iwatodai before, other than hanging out near Iwatodai station. Though, it did feel good to go somewhere else for change and get a change of scene.

But, before they had decided for the mall, as promised, Junpei stuck true to his promise to make up to Minato. So they all went out to get snacks first.

Minato got some pocky and a Cielo Mist, Hamuko and Yukari only got pocky, and Junpei had some takoyaki, all at Junpei's courtesy.

"So I take it you guys haven't been around here before to the Paulownia Mall, huh?" Yukari said, upon seeing how the twins were surprised by going to the mall.

"No. This is our first time coming here." Hamuko answered.

Minato then took a sip of his drink before also responding, "Yeah, it is. But, I don't remember this place being here last time."

"Last time?" Yukari asked.

Minato's face sombered a little, as well as Hamuko's. Junpei then looked at them, wondering about the reason for their sudden silence. "Dudes?"

Yukari also now looked at them, concerned. "Hey, are you guys okay?"

Minato looked up, "Oh…Well…It's just that this place wasn't here when we lived here."

Junpei scratched his chin, "You dudes lived here? When?".

Minato answered, "Ten years ago. Before our parents-". He stopped, took another sip from his drink, but he looked away, now refusing to go on. While Hamuko still didn't say anything and continued to look away.

"Oh." Junpei only answered, taking the hint. Now it seemed that the trip to the mall went from a fun outing to being depressing and somber.

Yukari remained silent throughout the conversation. She knew the reason for the twins' silence, after all she read the file on the them from Mitsuru. But, she quickly snapped out of it and went on to changing the subject.

"The mall isn't too old, that's probably why." She said, "I think it was built a couple or so years ago. A lot of students like to come over here after school. It has a karaoke, a CD store and this great café. There's a nightclub here too, but that's not exactly for us. And all of it was done by Kirijo-senpai's family. Kind of strange, but, yeah."

Junpei looked at her, "Seriously? Man, her family must be super rich. Like millionaires or something."

Minato and Hamuko now looked at the two, feeling a bit better at the subject change. Hamuko asked, "Is she really that rich Yukari-chan?".

Yukari looked at her, "Mm-hm. Her family is also quite powerful too."

"Hm." Hamuko nodded.

Minato though was looking around the mall. He brought his drink up for another sip and finished off the Cielo Mist.

"So what now?" He muttered.

The others looked at him, surprised that he wanted to now talk again, after staying silent for awhile.

Minato lifted one eyebrow over as to why everyone looked at him with surprise. "What?", he questioned.

Junpei was the first one to speak, "Dude? Are you feeling okay or-".

"I'm fine," Minato somberly responded, "After all, that was all in the past. It's not like it can be undone or anything. So no use in complaining about it."

Junpei continued to look at Minato, still not believing that what he said was true. But, soon he sighed and relented. "'kay."

Minato nodded grateful. He looked at the other two. Hamuko looked away, her eyes were dark. As for Yukari, she became silent and had a small frown on her face.

"Guys, it's alright. I feel fine. Cheer up." He assured.

Hamuko looked back at him and smiled. But, he knew that she was only trying to fool herself and hide her worry. But, he accepted anyways and gave a smile in return. Yukari then looked at the both of them and she too gave a smile. A small one though.

With the situation brought out of its awkwardness, Minato asked, "Could we try out that café of yours, Yukari?".

Relieved that the situation passed Junpei was glad, but now he became shocked.

"Errr… But, Minato didn't you just… well… you already ate and drank something. Now you want coffee?".

"So?"

"Uhh…".

Junpei still seemed confused, scratching his head, he asked, "Well, if that's what you want I'm game. But, you and your sis sometimes scare me whenever you guys eat. Especially by how much you eat."

The rest laughed at Junpei's statement. It now seemed that the fun atmosphere had returned to the group, for which they were truly thankful for.

With that, they headed off to the café, which was called Chagall Café, and there they enjoyed themselves till evening fell.

Afterwards, they parted ways with Junpei and Minato, Hamuko, and Yukari went towards the dorm.

-V-

_Dark Hour_

Akihiko had just finished pummeling a group of Shadows. The group was consisted of about five Shadows, which was no problem for him. So he quickly disposed of them within seconds.

He then wiped his gloves free from the Shadow guts that covered them. When he was done, he looked around.

Currently, Akihiko was near Iwatodai station. He had gone there after school and hung around there until the Dark hour had fallen.

Once that happened, he went around and beat any Shadows he could find for training, which is what he had been doing for the past twenty minutes into the Dark Hour.

_Hm, maybe that's enough training for the day, _Akihiko thought. _I guess I should head back. _He figured that he could join up with Mitsuru, Yukari, and the Chairman.

Akihiko got his gloves off and walked to where he left his black bag. But, as he was putting everything up for leaving, he stopped.

A loud, screeching noise was heard. It was so loud that it made Akihiko wince a bit.

But, just as quick as it happened, it faded away.

_Shit! What the hell was that?_

Akihiko now became wary of the situation. So he quickly finished packing up and looked around to make sure it was more or less safe to leave.

The streets were quiet and the sound from earlier did not sound again.

Satisfied, Akihiko began to walk off in the direction of the dorm. Though, he barely started when suddenly-

**Boom!**

An explosion rocked a nearby building, debris flew out into the air. Akihiko whirled around and saw the flying debris come at him. He managed to dodge most of it, but he did get hit on his left arm.

"Ow!," he hissed in pain. He gripped his arm, while at the same time holding the bag, he then peered out into the night, trying to see on what exactly caused the explosion.

At first he couldn't pick anything out, but he managed to finally get a glimpse.

He saw a huge, black Shadow. And when he meant huge, it was really huge. It was bigger than any of the Shadows that he and Mitsuru would hunt down.

Upon this realization, Akihiko began to take steps back, hoping that the Shadow didn't get a look at him. But, unfortunately, that was not the case.

The Shadow was looking around at the destruction that it caused and it looked up and noticed Akihiko. It stared at him.

Knowing what was going to happen next, Akihiko quickly turned around and sped off. He didn't dare to ever look back to check if the Shadow was following or not. Chances were, it probably was.

He raced down the dark streets, trying to reach the dorm before the Shadow could catch up with him.

_I've got to reach Mitsuru, _he thought. As he was running, Akihiko with great effort, reached for his phone from his pocket with his left hand. He began to dial.

-VI-

Mitsuru pressed her lips into a thin line. Yukari was fidgeting in the seat next to her, clearly upset. While Ikutsuki remained behind them, calmly observing the screen in front.

They were again observing the Arisato twins and determining if they did have the **potential.**

"They're the same as last night," commented Mitsuru, her eyes narrowed.

Indeed, the twins remained the same as last night, no signs or symptoms appearing. And no Shadows coming to devour them either.

"Hmm…very interesting," mused Ikutsuki, "Those with the potential tend to be unstable at first; I am quite surprised that Arisato-kun is not displaying such signs."

Mitsuru mentally sighed.

When the twins had first come to the dorms, Mitsuru, Yukari, and Ikutsuki looked over their files.

It said that both twins were involved in a car accident with their parents about ten years ago. Their parents ,unfortunately, did not survive the accident which left the Arisatos as orphans. It also said that they were moved from place to place among relatives, so they never stayed somewhere for long.

On Hamuko, her file read that she did possess mild mental trauma. However, the reason was that during the accident she had passed out. But, the trauma was otherwise reported as not being too severe with her.

But...Minato's was different.

With him, it read that he suffered severe mental trauma from the incident. It was said that he was conscious during the accident and so he was witness to his parents' deaths, unlike his sister. It then went on to say that he withdrew from people and he had a hard time with relatives. This news seemed to disturb them all.

But, what was most disturbing was that Ikutsuki did not seem to have any such concerns. It seemed that he was only pleased to have more Persona users. Regardless of them being mentally prepared or not for the job.

Ikutsuki continued, "Memory loss…disorientation…these are symptoms that would normally appear. But, they are rather unique in that they are not feeling these symptoms in the slightest."

Mitsuru could see that the Chairman was amazed and excited about this development. But, she was soon brought out of her reverie when she heard Yukari.

"But, we're treating them like guinea pigs. I don't think that's right and it's not fair for them either." Yukari protested.

"I understand you concern, Yukari," Ikutsuki assured, "But it is imperative that we recruit new members. Besides, I've heard that they're your classmates. So wouldn't you feel more comfortable with working with someone from the same grade as you?"

Yukari bit her lip, she still felt bad. But she decided to answer, "Yeah, I guess. But, I still feel uneasy about the whole thing."

Mitsuru then was going to add something as well, but was interrupted by a _Bing! _Coming from one of the control panels.

All three turned forward to focus. Mitsuru pressed the button and said, "Control Room. Akihiko is that you?"

"**You're not going to believe this!" **Akihiko exclaimed, his voice a bit static over the transmission.

Mitsuru was surprised that it was Akihiko answering. Normally, he would never call through such means.

"Akihiko, what is it?" She demanded.

"**This thing is huge! Unfortunately, I don't have time to talk… The damn thing is chasing me. So heads up, I'll be there in a sec."**

The transmission ended. Mitsuru sunk into her seat, worried.

_This was the exactly the thing that I was warning you about, Akihiko…_

Yukari though was panicked about the situation. "Does that mean he's bringing that thing **here**?!"

Mitsuru ignored the brunette's exclamation and turned to face Ikutsuki.

"Mr. Chairman! Let's suspend our observation for now. We'll prepare for battle!"

The Chairman was a bit startled, but continued, "…R-Right. Be careful."

The two girls got up from their seats and ran outside of the Control Room for downstairs. Ikutsuki followed.

-VII-

Akihiko slammed the door behind him. He let the bag drop from his grasp and slid against the door. He cradled his injured left arm, which was throbbing like crazy.

"Dammit." He cursed.

Akihiko heard footsteps come running down the stairs. He looked up to see Mitsuru and Yukari running down.

When they made it down, they stopped and looked around. Upon seeing Akihiko, they rushed towards him. Ikutsuki soon appeared as well, after catching up with the girls.

"Akihiko!" Mitsuru shouted, concerned.

"I'm alright. Agh!-" Akihiko gasped. He gripped his arm tighter.

"Senpai!" Yukari shouted.

"It's okay." Akihiko reassured, gritting his teeth. "Nothing I can't handle. But get ready… That thing is going to come any second now."

"Akihiko! This is no time to joke around!" Mitsuru growled. Already she was angry that Akihiko risked himself out there, but now she was upset that he joking about the situation.

Ikutsuki , however, pressed forward. "Is it one of them, Akihiko?"

Akihiko looked up, "Yeah, but it's not an ordinary one-"

Unexpectedly, the ground shook beneath their feet. That was not a good sign.

"Aaaahhhh! What the…?!", Yukari yelped, "You've **gotta** be kidding me?!"

Mitsuru narrowed her eyes, she grabbed her gun out of its holster. She turned to face Ikutsuki, "Mr. Chairman, please head for the command room!"

Ikutsuki nodded and he raced upstairs.

She then turned to face Yukari, "Takeba, go upstairs and wake up the Arisatos! Then, escape with them out the back."

"But, what about you two?" Yukari questioned.

"We'll stop it here." Mitsuru answered. She looked down at Akihiko, "You led it to us Akihiko, so I'm afraid you'll have to fight."

Akihiko scoffed. "Tch! Like I got a choice."

He then looked to see Yukari still rooted in her spot.

"What are you waiting for, Yukari? Go now!" He shouted.

"R-Right! I'm going!" Yukari then turned around and ran up stairs.

With Yukari gone, Mitsuru got herself ready. "After this is done, I'm going to be expecting an explanation for this."

Akihiko got up, pain searing from his left arm and now his side. "Alright, alright, I got it. Come on, let's go kick that Shadow's ass."

The two seniors then prepared themselves and ran outside.

-VIII-

Hamuko was sleeping peacefully in bed. Well, up until that moment when-

"Hamuko-chan! Hamuko-chan, get up!"

Hamuko shot up from bed, after hearing Yukari shout out her name. So she then got up and went to quickly change from her pajamas into her school clothes (only clothing available at the moment) and went for the door.

She though almost surprised Yukari, who looked like she was going to bust the door open. But, she quickly recovered and said, "I don't have time to explain. We have to get going out of here, _now_!"

Hamuko quickly shook out of her surprise. "Okay. But, what about my brother?"

Yukari nodded. "We'll pick him up on the way down. Now hurry!"

The two girls then began to run for downstairs, when Yukari stopped. She turned to face Hamuko. "Here. This is just in case, okay?"

She then handed a naginata to Hamuko. Hamuko grabbed the object, unsure of exactly what to do.

"Let's go!" Yukari shouted.

Still curious about the situation, Hamuko ignored it and went to follow Yukari downstairs.

-IX-

The two were able to reach Minato's room and waited outside. Hamuko then called out, "Minato-nii! Get up!"

No response.

"Minato!"

No response.

"Dammit, Minato! Get up right now!" Hamuko shouted.

Shuffling was heard on the other side of the door and soon the door was opened. Minato stood there in his school uniform as well. His blue hair was disheveled and his eyes reflected his tiredness.

"You could've asked nicely. No need to shout." He scratched the back of his head. He then turned and saw that Yukari was there. But, he noticed that she was frightened and her breathing was fast.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"We have to get going. There's no time to explain." Yukari answered.

"…?"

"We have to go downstairs and out the back door. Here, this is for you."

Yukari then gave a confused Minato a katana. _When did she…_

He looked and now noticed that Hamuko was wielding a naginata in her hands. But before he could question, Yukari said, "There's not much time. Follow me!"

So the three proceeded downstairs. Minato was still confused, so he looked at his sister to judge her reaction. Hamuko looked to him, _Just go with it_.

He nodded and followed down.

-X-

They reached the rear door to the dorms. Yukari sighed in relief.

"We should be safe now you guys-"

But, she was interrupted by the ring of her phone. Yukari reached down and pulled it out from her pocket.

"**Takeba, do you read me!?"**

"Y-Yes! I hear you!" She answered Mitsuru.

"**Be careful! There's more than one enemy!" **Mitsuru warned. **"The one we're fighting isn't the one that Akihiko saw!"**

"What?!" Yukari exclaimed on the phone.

**Bang!**

The three jumped at the noise. The rear door was hit.

**Bang! Bang!**

Again, not a good sign.

The twins looked at Yukari for an answer. She closed the phone and turned to face them.

"L-Let's pull back!"

The dashed for the stairs. And they climbed upwards.

When they reached the second floor, a crash was heard.

Yukari gasped. "What was that?!"

The ground shook and screeching noises were heard.

"They're getting closer. W-We've got to keep moving!"

The twins nodded and they went up the stairs even further.

-XI-

Yukari slammed the door shut behind them. Her and the twins gasped for air. The run up the stairs was exhausting. Not to mention that it didn't help there being a huge Shadow chasing up after them. But, up on the rooftop, it seemed relatively safe.

Yukari sighed in relief.

"The door's locked. I think we're safe for now." Yukari replied.

The twins nodded. Grateful that that helter skelter run up was done, and that the Shadow couldn't get up.

But now with this moment of peace, Minato looked at Yukari. "Yukari, would you mind giving an explanation."

Yukari looked up at him and was about to say something when the entire building shook.

"…?!"

"Ah!"

"'the hell?!"

The rumbling did not seem to stop as before. In fact, it felt like it was getting stronger and closer to them.

"You gotta be kidding me! It's climbing up the wall?!" Yukari shouted.

_Damn, is that thing really coming up on the wall? _Minato gripped his sword tightly and he looked at the girls.

Hamuko was also gripping her weapon, while Yukari stood there. She was trembling.

Yukari looked down at her side, her eyes shadowed with fear. But, she then quickly looked back up, but she gasped.

Minato wondered at her surprise and he turned to see what caused it.

A huge black hand gripped the edge of the building… soon met by four other hands.

Another hand lifted up a blue mask, using it to look around the area. The full moon in the background gave it a menacing appearance.

The Shadow then crawled up onto the roof. Upon seeing the three teenagers there, it flashed six swords out, ready to strike.

It then began to advance closer to the group. Minato, Hamuko, and Yukari tried backing up, but really there was no point. They were trapped here on the roof.

Yukari gulped. "We call these monsters Shadows…"

She then quickly grabbed for her side. She pulled out something and put it at her head.

Minato froze. It was a gun.

Hamuko stared in shock as well. "Yukari-chan, you're not thinking of-!"

Minato couldn't speak, he only stared. _Is she? She's not seriously going to do __**that**__, right?!_

"Here it goes…" Yukari shut her eyes, her hands gripped the gun to her head, taking several deep breathes. A swirling, blue energy column appeared around her.

She still had the gun, pressed to her forehead. However, her hand refused to pull the trigger. "I-I can't do this-!"

As if taking advantage of this chance, the Shadow hit her with one of its swords. The blow sent her flying at the wall. Her gun flew off to the side.

"Aaaaahhh!"

"YUKARI!"

"YUKARI-CHAN!"

The twins ran over for her. Hamuko dropped her weapon and went to her side, propping her up. She then looked from Yukari to her brother, who was running to join her.

But, she saw the huge creature focus its attention on her brother now. Its sword was poised to strike another blow, right for her brother's back.

"Minato, behind you! Look out!"

Minato heard her, he glanced back. The sword was coming down onto him. And it would have cleaved him in two, but he quickly dove for the side.

The sword crashed into the ground. The impact shaking the building.

Hamuko clutched Yukari tighter towards her, trying to shield the girl from the impact.

Minato fell onto the ground.

He slowly tried to get up and recover from the impact. He looked up and saw that he was in front of Yukari's gun, which rested in a pool of blood.

_Wha-?_

He didn't have time to finish the thought, when a loud, screeching noise rang out.

Minato looked and saw that the Shadow was advancing for the girls.

Hamuko's eyes were wide and frightened. Yukari was still unconscious in his sister's arms.

He flicked his gaze back unto the gun. It remained there, lying in the blood.

Minato didn't know what to do. He knew that he had to protect the girls, he had to. But, here he was lying on the floor, helpless, while the Shadow was moving closer to them.

_Goddammit! MOVE!_

He lowered his head down. His body refused to pick up the gun.

_It's hopeless. We're done for. I'm sorry sis. Yukari. _

"Go on."

Minato's head shot up. There, standing before him, was the same boy that had come to him and Hamuko on their first day.

"You know what to do." The boy smiled, before he put two fingers against the side of his head.

Minato's got up. He then bent down to pick up the gun. When he did, he felt his mind go blank. Nothing else mattered but the gun in his hands.

-XII-

Akihiko, Mitsuru and the Chairman were inside the Control Room. They were watching the whole scene unfold before them.

But, as soon as the impact of the Shadow's sword settled, Mitsuru felt that they now needed to take action.

"Mr. Chairman, we should-!"

"Look."

Ikutsuki now pointed at the screen.

-XIII-

Everything began to become clear. He _did_ know what to do.

Minato put the gun to the side of his head. The cold, steel of the gun's muzzle was felt on his skin. His finger tensed on the trigger.

"Now…just pull the trigger." The boy smiled.

Minato inched the trigger, slightly. He could hear his heart pound in his ears as he then spoke the word.

"Per…"

He heard it. That was his voice.

"So…"

A smile came to his face. He felt power coursing through every fiber of his being; it welled up inside of him…

"Na…!"

Minato pulled the trigger.

He heard something break within his mind, as his power became unleashed. Blue energy fragments swirled around him and went upwards, forming something.

A voice was then heard.

"Thou art I…and I art thou…"

Hamuko watched in awe at what was going on with her brother. Yukari, who had now woken up, looked at Minato with widened eyes.

The figure above Minato formed into a body with a blue torso and platinum limbs, a red scarf was wrapped around its neck, and finally, a huge lyre was strapped onto its back.

The figure continued to speak, "From the sea of thine soul I cometh… I am Orpheus, master of strings!"

Orpheus then roared.

The Shadow turned to look at this new development. Its focus no longer set on the girls, so it again went to go for Minato.

Minato stepped forward to confront the Shadow, but suddenly he heard a loud roar in his mind. And it shook him to his core.

He then grabbed his head in pain. "Guuuaaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

He stepped back, clutching his head, dropping the gun as he did so. The pain increasing by the second, his head felt like it was going to explode. The roar also continued to ring throughout his mind.

Orpheus, meanwhile, began to convulse and spasm, as a black blob came out from him. It ripped apart Orpheus and splatted onto the ground, convulsing and writhing.

Hamuko was continuing to watch the scene, and judging by it, if she didn't do anything quick that Shadow was going to go after her brother and kill him. She got up.

Yukari looked at her, "Hamuko? What are you going to-?"

"I'm sorry Yukari-chan. But, I have to save my brother." She then dashed for him.

"WAIT! Hamuko!" Yukari yelled.

Hamuko ignored Yukari's warning and continued to run for Minato. As she got closer, she noticed the gun lying on the floor.

She stopped and looked at it.

She ran over to it and grabbed it.

She held it in her hands. She knew what she had to do.

Hamuko placed the gun against the side of her head. _Remember what Minato-nii did. Just say that word. Say the word!_

"Per…"

Yes, that's it.

"So…"

She smiled.

"Na…!"

Hamuko pulled the trigger.

And just like with Minato, blue energy fragments swirled around her. Reaching upwards, they began to form into Hamuko's own persona.

"Thou art I…and I art thou…"

When the persona finished forming, it was different from Minato's own. It had long, flowing hair, a golden torso, and a red scarf wrapped around its neck. Its limbs were of light silver, compared to Orpheus'. Overall, her persona seemed to have brighter colors compared to Minato's, which looked darker.

The Persona spoke, "From the sea of thine soul I cometh… I am Eurydice, dancer and muse of the master of strings!"

Hamuko was going to command Eurydice to destroy the huge Shadow, but she heard a loud roar.

It was then accompanied by a sudden rush of pain in her skull.

"Aaaaaugggghhhh!"

And just like Orpheus, Eurydice convulsed and spasmed. She then, too, was ripped apart and a black blob fell onto the floor.

Then, the blob near Minato went for the one near Hamuko. The two blobs joined together and generated a dark aura.

When the aura vanished, it left behind something.

-XIV-

"What the hell is that?!" Akihiko shouted. His eyes widened at what was being shown on the screen.

Mitsuru simply stood there in silence. She was too shocked to speak.

Ikutsuki though, gave a small smile.

-XV-

Minato felt the pain subside and looked up.

A huge creature had suddenly appeared. It gave a roar to the sky, issuing a challenge to its enemies. Its body was covered in a black coat, with a belt buckle, and it had white gloves and shoes. A ring of coffins surrounded the beast and were connected to it by chains.

Its sword was drawn and it was staring at the Shadow.

The Shadow now, seemingly forgetting Minato once again, looked at the one who challenged it.

But, before it could even make a move, the creature slashed it in half with its sword. It then grabbed it and slammed it into the ground.

Again, it slashed the Shadow, cutting off its limbs and mask. The mask faded away. After it was done slicing, it smashed whatever was left of the Shadow across the floor.

Yukari was witness to this all happening before her. She did nothing and would only look in horror at whatever this creature was doing.

_What is this? _She thought.

The creature panted, it enjoyed this rush of power. It picked up one of the Shadow's limbs, crushing it in its fist. It roared up at the sky.

Minato winced, as well as Hamuko. The roar seemed to pierce through their skulls like a sharp pain.

But, soon the creature's body flickered and then finally disappeared. Orpheus and Eurydice were left in its place.

Minato collapsed on his knees, sweat falling down from his forehead. When the sudden rush of power had subsided, it left him drained and exhausted.

He lay there panting. "Huff…huff…huff…"

He glanced back. He saw Hamuko bending halfway, her forehead also glistening with sweat. But, it seemed that it did not take as much of a toll on her as it did him.

"Ha…muko…", he panted.

She looked up at him. "Minato…"

He smiled, despite his weariness. He was glad that he was able to protect them. They were safe.

He then saw Yukari in the back, she was standing up. "Is it over…?" He heard her ask.

As if in reply, four Shadows suddenly appeared from the remains of the larger one. They began to head for them, but mostly were trying to aim for him.

_Great…._ Minato grumbled. He was too tired to do much in his condition, much less fight. Meaning, he was a sitting duck out there.

But, he then felt something rush past him. He looked forward. Hamuko rushed at the Shadows, naginata in hand.

"Persona!"

Hamuko's persona, Eurydice, appeared near her.

"Bash!" Hamuko commanded.

Eurydice spun around and then slammed her foot down on the Shadow, reducing it into splattered guts.

Eurydice dealt that same move on another Shadow with the same result. Hamuko dealt with the other two on her own. She slashed them in half with her naginata.

When she was done, she spun around her weapon in a flashy manner. She turned around to see her brother.

She gasped.

Minato was slumped on the floor. Exhaustion completely overcame him.

"Minato-nii!"

She ran towards him. Yukari also ran for them too.

Hamuko reached him first. She flipped her brother on his back, sweat beaded on his forehead. His breath was shallow.

"Minato-nii! Minato-nii! Come on, wake up!" Hamuko shouted, she lightly shook her brother.

He gave no response.

_No…_

Yukari was then beside her. She put her hand on Minato's forehead.

"He's burning up." She said.

Tears suddenly came to Hamuko's eyes. This was all her fault. If only she had done something earlier, maybe he wouldn't have taken on the brunt of that power. He would've been okay.

_No. I don't want to lose you too, Minato-nii. Come on, get up._

Hamuko then heard a door open. She turned to see who it was.

Akihiko and Mitsuru ran up to the three.

"Are you guys, okay?" He asked.

Yukari responded, "We're fine, but…" Her eyes went down.

"He has a fever." Hamuko answered.

Mitsuru looked down, "We'll get immediate medical help then. Akihiko, tell the Chairman to call for help."

Akihiko nodded. He ran back to the Control Room.

Hamuko got up, wanting to help. But suddenly, she was hit by a wave of exhaustion. She fell to her knees.

"Arisato!"

"Hamuko!"

She fell forward, exhaustion finally taking its hold over her. _Minato-nii…_

* * *

**A/N:**

-I had fun with writing this chapter. After all, this is probably one of the most epic moments in the game. I hope that I did this scene justice. I also gave Hamuko's persona a different name rather than just have it be Orpheus. I think that it seems to make more sense than them having the same persona. After all, it would be boring if they just shouted "Orpheus!" "Orpheus!" "Wait, is that yours or mine?" "Huh?" . So yeah, to make it less confusing and more fitting Minato's initial persona is Orpheus and Hamuko's initial persona is Eurydice.

- Again, forgive me if I take a long while on the chapter. College is going to keep me busy for the most part. So, sorry. I will try to find the time to write when I can.

- I am planning to write a drabble collection that correlates with the main story. Its title is going to be A Day in the Life. So look out for that soon.

-Thanks for reading this chapter. Feel free to leave any comments, feedback, or faves.


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